


Parole parole

by haissitall



Category: Half-Life
Genre: Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23230057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haissitall/pseuds/haissitall
Summary: Black Mesa Administrator Wallace Breen finally finds someone to have an engaging conversation with: his employee, Gordon Freeman.
Relationships: Wallace Breen/Gordon Freeman
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	Parole parole

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Слово за слово](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/622003) by Haissitall. 



> ! Very not beta-read !

Ah, the charm of corporate parties, whether they are with plastic cups at the far end of the office or official, with glasses and catering. Gordon took pleasure in spending time with colleagues, learning through awkward conversations about the illnesses of their ginea pigs and how good fishing was in Ohio. And no, this was not because he was unspeakably alone outside the laboratory and desperately tried to replace his whole life with it, not at all. 

But this time Gordon, like all the introverted scientists around him, twisted his lips in displeasure and nervously adjusted his tight tie. At this event, all conversations were strongly focused on company policy, productivity, mutual respect and work atmosphere. The music was not too stupid, and the food and drinks were excruciatingly fancy. Why? That's right. The highest authority deigned to descend to mere mortals and shone regally in his modest tweed jacket, giving out polite smiles, nods and handshakes.

Dr. Breen’s face was not made for smiles, each turned out just awful. He showed his teeth, barely lifting the corners of his lips, like a celebrity taken by surprise.

"Eli."

Eli shook his hand with a sigh and, without letting go of it, immediately said: "What a strange wake."

"Don't," Breen answered quietly, still grinning.

"I heard people died getting this crystal. And we are celebrating."

"You need to stop listening to all this nonsense, Eli. I didn’t expect respected scientists here to spread absurd and alarmist rumors."

Freeing his hand, Breen turned his attention to Gordon.

"For example, you don’t look like a chatterbox," his handshake was confident and very hasty, "Have you joined us recently?"

"More than a year ago, for sure," Eli said.

"I'm sorry, I have the whole complex under me, I cannot remember everyone even with my memory..."

"Dr. Freeman," snapped Eli and took the champagne from the waiter’s tray.

"Of course, Dr. Freeman! I would've remembered, Eli."

Eli drank from the glass and grimaced. "Non-alcoholic. See, Gordon, the authorities do not drink and don't let us drink either. I'll go find Azian."

With this, he handed a glass to Breen and hastened to disappear from his field of vision. Gordon wanted to come up with something and slip away from Breen too, but he, looking at the rising bubbles behind the crystal glass, pointedly started: "You know, as part of my responsibilities, I had to take a lot of unpopular measures: banning long nails and high heels, limiting the number of visitors and toughening the access regime, introducing the earlier start of the shift and fitness check-ups... But still, the most memorable thing turned out to be the ban on alcohol at corporate parties. It baffles me that the best minds of the country, if not all of humanity, are so sensitive to such trifles. Are we not able to give up such a stupid little addiction?"

Gordon sighed heavily. He knew that Breen liked to talk. Gordon saw him once before, he came to their laboratory to tire everyone out with a long speech about how important the work of this team is, especially in our time, when humanity is on the verge of a giant leap in development, carefully looking out of the door, and how scientists must open this door, take humanity by the hand, lead it, and so on and so forth. Breen read it from a piece of paper at first, then discarded it and the speach went on for at least half an hour after that. Then they were photographed for the website and Breen was even given a lab coat for this occasion so that he seemed to also join in pushing humanity beyond the threshold.

"I see that you agree with me, Dr. Freeman," Breen noticed his sigh, "I am glad that what I say resonates with younger employees. This means that our future is in good hands."

He turned away to give the glass to the waiter, and in a few seconds Gordon tried to figure out how rude it would be to run away now while he was not looking.

"I hope that Black Mesa has managed to become your home, Dr. Freeman. I do my best to make all employees feel comfortable."

Well, yes, trying to establish an almost prison-like discipline, which, bumping into wild carelessness, became an explosive mixture of bureaucracy and window dressing. But Gordon didn’t say it out loud, because working here was still very prestigious and interesting, despite the efforts of Dr. Breen. Gordon could only be glad that he had not chosen politics as a career path. The mere thought that Dr. Breen could've have managed something more than Black Mesa made Gordon shiver.

"You know, your opinion is very important to me. Talking with young scientists is the greatest pleasure that my work can bring. The breadth of your views, the boldness of your ideas, I am ready to listen to you for hours and be amazed at what the youthful mind is capable of. This is the best time - when you already know enough to make your own judgments, but at the same time time not enough to narrow your horizons and forget about any point of view except your own."

Gordon didn't catch anything Breen told him, but he felt the soft intonation of a velvet voice and a patronizing hand on his shoulder.

"Therefore, I am sure that you are an indispensable addition to the team. Your fresh look will undoubtedly come in handy in the most important studies that lie ahead. I can see the glimmer in your eyes and how eager you are to get started," Breen laughed, and he even managed to do it nicely, with warm wrinkles across his face, "Believe it or not, but I'm also a very impatient person. Sometimes one wants to walk faster than time itself. It constantly seems to me that I'm stepping on its heels."

The hand did not disappear from his shoulder, and Gordon realized that he was slowly but surely pulled away from the crowd. Whatever Breen said about alcohol, Gordon certainly didn’t regret that he had managed to get a drink from their secret supply with his colleagues, so that it would not be so boring here.

"How lucky we are, Gordon... I can call you Gordon,” Breen stated, without asking at all, "How lucky we are to be here. And we could've been, well... there are plenty of places where talents go to die. Remember Aperture Science? Of course, you don't. Examplary madmen. It’s a pity that they have quieted down recently. One could not find jokes funnier than their commercial offers."

Gordon was still looking for some familiar faces to say hello, casually start a dialogue, and slowly leave Breen to them, but around him were only people from departments he had never seen in his life. He was not even sure they had anything to do with the crystal, they were all probably some accountants who decided to drink non-alcoholic champagne for free.

"But science should not be a chaotic Brownian movement. Only children are allowed to grasp everything at once, driven by blind curiousity. No, science in Black Mesa will always be a concentrated, planned progress..."

Honestly, at that moment, Breen’s voice became for Gordon akin to the sounds of a TV that mutters something in the background while you swallow lunch. Gordon no longer even tried to listen, forgetting everything he had said instantly, and only occasionally silently nodded to his own thoughts. Would be really nice to have a drink with the guards right now. Now they understand what's what. Sometimes he liked them much more than fellow scientists in their dusty lab coats and snobby glasses. Barney, one of the guards in their department, was a very good fellow. Once, together with Gordon, they decided to make a joke and put the processed cheese in a HEV suit. But then the one who was supposed to wear it fell ill, and in the end Gordon had to put it on. Gordon could not restrain himself and smiled at his thoughts.

"I see that you share my opinion, Gordon. I am very pleased."

This brought Gordon out of trance. They were already in some empty corridor, in which the rumble of the voices of the celebrants was barely audible. Breen still grabbed his shoulder.

"You know, to be honest, you are probably the best interlocutor I have ever met," said Breen, looking into his eyes, "But now," he continued, turning away, "if we talk about how religion strains the back of the mankind..."

He will never shut up. And he cut Gordon off from any possible outside help. He had to urgently come up with something, and, thank God, Gordon never suffered from a lack of creative solutions. He suffered from a lack of assessment of the consequences of such solutions, but this was unimportant. What was important, is that he took Breen by the lapels of his jacket and kissed him.

The kiss turned out unexpectedly long. Breen quickly got a hang of himself and gently tugged at his tie, wrapping his other hand around his neck, which was not exactly the reaction that Gordon had hoped for. When they pulled away from each other, Breen reached for the inside pocket of Gordon's jacket.

"Gordon, this is very unethical," he muttered and took out his authorization card. "Level 3 Dormitories... So, it's closer to come to you then. Let's go."

When Gordon woke up, he realized with sadness that he remembered absolutely all of the events of last night, to the smallest detail. Of course, there still was little chance that all of this was a very realistic dream, and... no, that was definitely Dr. Breen sleeping on the other side of the bed. Gordon sighed heavily. Well, it was not in his character to be disheartened easily, and this was far from the end of the world.

Wait, had he overslept the alarm clock? He was already half an hour late! Gordon jumped out of the bed and began frantically picking up clothes, quickly trying to understand which clothes belonged to him.

Breen turned around and raised his head from the pillow.

"Are you leaving already?.. Ah yes, today is the first day of testing. Do not worry so much, they will wait for you."

Gordon was too busy jumping on one leg, putting on his pants, to tell him everything he thought of him. Of course, he slept with his superior, but he had a feeling Breen didn't give a damn if Gordon got a reprimand for being late today.

"You have an important mission today, Gordon."

His glasses somehow ended up in Breen's hands, and Gordon had to climb onto the bed for them, buttoning his shirt.

"Humanity is counting on you," Breen said with characteristic pathos, putting the glasses on him. Gordon had no chance to evade a kiss on the cheek.

"Including me."

Gordon nodded awkwardly and hurried to the experiment.


End file.
